US2018041A - Game contrivance - Google Patents

Description

@et 22, 1935 N. ToMAsKEvlcl-a GAME CONTRIVANCE Filed Aug. le, 1954 INVENT OR. Mamma mwm//cf/ Patented Qct. 22, 1935 ST'EES 12 Claims.

My invention pertains to a game contrivance and more particularly to a toy or game accessory which comprises a dial supplied with circumerentially arranged indicia with one or more of which a pointer is or pointers are adapted to register.

I am not unaware that amusement devices or" the general character stated have long been known and used, nor am I 11n-acquainted with some of the nearest prior patented art, as evidenced, for instance, by domestic patents to Rabiger No. 474,188; to De Voe No. 1,430,062; to Carlson No. 1,520,697; to Hunau No. 1,555,848 and to Moore No. 1,646,973-none of which dis- -closes any one of iive features oi my construe tion to be hereinafter described.

Besides the general object oi achieving a design of durable and adequately economical manufacture, my construction desirably insures indeterminable results quite beyond the control ci the manipulator as a game contestant, but the result or results, depending upon whether one or more pointers are employed, are always indubitably disclosed by precise registration of each pointer with some particular indicia (dice, numbers or pictures) to avoid disputes. My contrivance may successfully range in size from that of a watch to that of a card table and may be operated in either a vertical or a horizontal position. Features of my construction are: (u) differentially rotatable dial and pointer together with another pointer on a transparent cover;

(b) circurnierentially arranged elements for frictional coaction with a rotatable projection (exemplied as a yieldingly mounted roller) and alike in predetermined radial positions with respect to the radial positions of the dial indicia whereby theindeterminate stopping positions effeet indisputable designations; (c) a pair of discs one turnable with the dial and the other with a pointer, together with means for rotating one disc and distinct means whereby the other disc automatically has imparted to it a differential turning movement not precalculable.

In lthe drawing:-

Fig. 1 is a plan View of one embodiment of my invention.

Fig. 2 is a right end elevation of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a vertical section on line 3-3 of Fig. l.

Fig. 4 is a plan section on line l-`4l of Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a vertical section on diagonal line 5 5 of Fig. 4.

Fig. 6 is a plan section on line E-G of Fig. 3.

Fig. '7 is a plan section on line 1 1 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 8 is an enlarged broken view of the upper righthand corner of Fig. 3.

Fig. 9 is a top plan view of the lower of two rotatable discs.

Fig. l0 illustrates a modification by elimination 5 of certain parts and change in design of other parts, the whole appearing as a top plan View.

Fig. l1 is an enlarged diametrical vertical section of Fig. l0.

A box l has its bottom fashionedwith a series 10 of ciroumierentially arranged humps 2, between which in contribution to a hexagonal denitionare fiat areas Fixed to the bottom of the box concentrically oi the humps is a pintle 4 whose upper end is about level with the rim de- 15 fined by the sides oi the box. Loosely envelopthe pintle 6l is a sleeve 5 and xed to the lower end ci the sleeve 5 is a disc 6 provided along a portion of its margin with an arcuate slot l, as clearly appears in Fig. 6, and adapted for reactive 20 movement through the plane of the slot l I provide a roller which is pivoted on the radially extending free end 9 of a resilient finger lil whose other extremity lis soldered or otherwise firmly attached to a nearly diainetrically opposite side 25 t. Any turning movement imparted the disc il will cause the roller to ride over the humps the linger l@ functioning meanwhile to hold the roller in Contact with the bottom of the box.

Also ixed to, or optionally as shown integral with, the sleeve 5 just above the disc 5 is a smaller diametered disc structure shown in detail as a plan View in Fig. 9 to comprise a circumferentially arranged set of humps i 2 and intervening nat 35 areas lf3. A dial structure lil is loosely mounted on the sleeve 5 directly above the humps l2 and comprises six hexagonally arranged indicia I5 supplied in any appropriate manner on the upper surface. As an exemplification, the indicia 40 disclosed in Fig. l are the six dot possibilities of conventional dice. Tongues it are downwardly struck-out from the disc-like top of the dial structure ill and are interlocked at circumferentially spaced points, as by the common type of 46 ear and slit connection designated by the numeral il, with a gear i8. Thus the top of the dial structure and its gear it are held spaced apart a suitable distance for the same reason that clearance was provided above the margin of the 50 disc f3, because, as may be observed upon inspection oi Fig. 4, the gear is fashioned with an arcuate slot lil through which a roller Elli similarly carried by a spring finger 2l may move while describing a path over the humps l2. The upper extremity of the sleeve 5 has fixed to it a pointer 22.

At one corner of the box bottom at a slightly raised point 23 there is riveted a shorter pintle 24, to the upper end of which there is secured a gear segment 25 adapted to mesh with the teeth on the gear I8. Attached to the segment is an Y actuating linger 26 which projects through a slot 21 in the side of the box. Movement of the iinger 26 away from the position in which it appears in Figs. 2 and 4 will be against the action of a coil spring 28 having one end 29 in the gear segment laterally of its' center and having its other end 32 bearing against the side of the box. A box cover Si has a circular aperture 32 closed by a piece of glass 33 on which is marked or painted a radially directed pointer 34. A tongue 35 on a iiange of the cover engages through a slot 36 in the box and on the opposite side an ear 31 interlocks through a slit 38.

The operation may be so described. A pull upon the finger 25 to the limit which the slot 2'! permits applies winding tension to the spring 28 while slowly reverse or counter-clockwise turning the gear I8. Release of the finger 26 causes the gear to become rapidly rotated in the opposite direction hence the dial indicia to travel in a clockwise direction. While doing so the lfrictional engagement of the roller 20 over the humps I2 will impart a differential turning movement to the disc t and in consequence to the pointer 22. The amount of turning movement both of the dial and of the pointer 22 are desirably indeterrninable. It is however desirable t0 Vhave an automatically operative control of the iinal stopping positions both of the dial with reference to the cover pointer 34 .and of the pointer 22 with reference to the stationary positions of the dial indicia. That control is realized by the interaction of the rollers 8 and 20 with the humps 2 and I2 respectively, with consideration of the fact that the indicia I5 on the dial and the sets of humps, all as to their circumferentially disposed arrangement, have predetermined relationship to the quiescent positions circumferentially of said rollers and to the two pointers. The arrangement is so contrived that when the roller 8 comes to rest, necessarily between two of the humps 2, the pointer 22 will be directly over or in indubitable registration with one of the indicia I5, and that when the roller 2t comes to rest between two of the humps I2, the dial will have one of its indicia directly under the pointer 34. I would have it understood that I clearly intend to have the duplex hump and roller control merely exemplify a step by step frictional resistance control to guarantee stopping positions either of a bodily turnable dial or of a pointer or of both.

The modification of Figs. 10 and ll is a simplification by reason of elimination of the lower disc and pointer turnable in unison therewith. while retaining some features in common with the structure of Figs. 1 to 9 and modifying the design, but not the function of certain other features, A box 39 has corner ears 40 adapted to be crimped over corners of a glass cover 4I which is interiorly or underneath supplied with a marginal opaque coating 42 to leave a transparent dial-exposing center area, of circular shape as illustrated. The dial structure comprises a circular element 43 of Zig-zag orm viewed in elevation as it appears in Fig. ll. The upper inverted U-shaped bends carry ten indicia, here the numerals from one to ten, all designated on the drawing by the numeral 44. The alternate U-shaped bends 45 are secured in .any feasible manner as by rivets 45 to a gear 41. The gear 4'I is in consequence oi the zig-zag form of the dial structure 43 spaced apart therefrom suiciently to allow of the movement through a suitably located arcuate slot in the gear on the part of the roller 48 carried at the end of a spring finger 49. Circumferentially arranged humps are similarly provided on the bottom of the box and should have a predetermined circumferential relationship with respect to the location of the roller and with respect to the transparent glass marked pointer 5I, in order similarly to insure positions of rest of the rotatable dial structure invariably to bring one of its numerals 44 directly under the pointer.

I claim:-

1. In a game contrivance, the combination of a box, a disc pivotally on said box bottom, a circumferentially arranged series of humps and a yieldingly connected roller interchangeably carried by said bottom and disc respectively, another disc pivotally mounted over said rst mentioned disc so as to be turnable independently thereof, means for actuating said last mentioned disc, one of said discs being similarly fashioned with a circumferentially arranged series of humps appositioned to the other one of said discs, a roller yieldingly carried by the other one of said discs and adapted circularly to ride over said disc humps, a dial carried by said superposed disc, the indicia on said dial being circumferentially arranged in predetermined relationship with respect to the lowermost series of humps, a pointer above said dia-l and attached to said lower disc, a transparent cover for the box and marked with a pointer for likewise registering over the movable indicia on said dial, the disc-carried humps likewise having a predetermined circumferential arrangement whereby both pointers ,always point indubitably to one indicia or to a distinct pair thereof.

2. In a game, a box having on its bottom, a circumferentially4 arranged series of humps struck-up into the confines of the box, a disc pivotally mounted over said humps, a roller yieldingly carried by said disc and adapted circularly to ride over said humps, a gear pivotally mounted over said disc, means comprising a spring-controlled gear-toothed member for actuating said gear, said disc being fashioned with a similar circumferentially arranged series of humps appositioned to said gear, a roller yieldingly carried by said gear and adapted circularly to ride over said disc humps, a dial carried by said gear, the indicia on said dial being circumferentially arranged in predetermined relationship with respect to the series of humps on the box bottom, a pointer secured to said disc, ,a transparent cover for the box and marked with a pointer for registering over the movable indicia on said dial, the disc-carried humps also having a predetermined arrangement whereby both pointers always indubitably designate.

3. In a game of the character described, the combination of a box having its bottom interiorly fashioned with a circumferentially arranged series of humps, a pintle upstanding from the center of said humps, a disc pivotally mounted on said pintle, a roller yieldingly carried by said disc and adapted circularly to ride over said humps, a gear pivotally mounted on said pintle over said disc, means comprising a gear-toothed member for actuating said gear and further comprising a finger projecting through the side of said box, a. frictonal connection between said disc and gear, a dial carried by said gear and provided with indicia which .are circumferentially arranged in predetermined relationship with respect to the circumferential arrangement of said humps, a sleeve around said pintle, attached to said disc and projecting through said gear and dial, a pointer on the upper end of said sleeve, a transparent cover for the box and marked with a pointer for registering over the movable indicia on said dial, the frictional connection between said disc and gear including circumferentially arranged variables of frictional resistance whereby both pointers always indubitably designate one or one certain pair of indicia.

4. In a gaine, the combination of a support, a pintle thereon, a dial supplied with circumferentially arranged indicia and rotatably mounted on said pintle, means for ro-tating said dial, a structure comprising a sleeve around said pintle and which sleeve projects through said dial, said structure also comprising a pointer on the upper end of said sleeve and adapted for movement over the dial, a frictional connection between said dial and structure whereby turning of the former unequaily turns the latter and a transparent cover carried by said support and fashioned with a radially extending pointer.

5. In a game, the combination ofA a support, a pintle fixed thereon, a structure including a dial fashioned with circumferentially arranged indicia and rotatably mounted on said pintle, a structure comprising a sleeve rotatably mounted around said pintle and also comprising a pointer on the upper end Iof said sleeve, said pointer being adapted for movement over the dial indicia, a frictional connection between said structures whereby turning of one unequally turns the other, means for turning one of said frictionally connected structures and a transparent cover carried by said support and marked with a radially extending pointer intended for conjunctive reading with reference to the positions of rest of the turnable pointer and turnable dial.

6. In a game contrivance, the combination of a supporting structure, a structure rotatably mounted on said rst mentioned structure and including a dial supplied with circumferentially arranged indicia, means for rotating said dial structure, said structures being fashioned on appositioned sides, one with a series of alternately disposed ridges and recesses each corresponding in number to the number of dial indica and collectively in circumferential arrangement and the other with a roller adapted to occupy one of said recesses, a transparent cover supplied with a radially extending pointer and fitted to said supporting structure, said roller being located in predetermined relationship to one of said circumferential arrangements, said pointer being located in predetermined relationship to the other of said circumferential arrangements whereby to insure registrationof said pointer directly over one of said indicia for any position of rest of said dial.

7. In a game contrivance, the combination of a box, a structure rotatably mounted in said box and including a dial supplied with circumferentially arranged indicia, means for rotating said dial structure, a transparent cover attached to said box and supplied with a radially extending pointer, the bottom of said box being fashioned with a series of alternately disposed ridges and recesses each corresponding in number to the number of dial indicia and collectively in circumferential arrangement and the dial structure being provided with a projection adapted to transscribe a path dened by said ridges and recesses and to occupy one oi the latter, said projection il being located in predetermined circumferential arrangement to the circumferential arrangement of the dial indicia, said pointer being located in predetermined relationship to the circumferential arrangement of the box bottom whereby to insure registration of said pointer directly over one of said indicia for any positionA of rest of said dial.

8. In a game contrivance,l the combination of a supporting structure, another' structure rotatably mounted thereon and including a dial supplied with circumferentiaily arranged indicia, mechanism including gearing for rotating said dial structure, a transparent cover for said supporting structure and fashioned with a radially extending pointer, one of said structures being fashioned on a side appositioned to the other structure with a series of alternately disposed ridges and recesses each corresponding in number to the number of dial indicia and collectively in circumferential arrangement and the other of said structures including a yieldingly connected member adapted to be urged into one of said recesses, said member being located in predetermined relationship to one of said circumferential arrangements, said pointer being located in predetermined relationship to the other of said circumferential arrangements whereby to insure registration of said pointer directly over one of said indicia for any position of rest of said dial.

9. In a game, the combination of a box including a transparent cover fashioned with a radially extending pointer, a dial structure rotatably mounted in said box and having circumferentially arranged indicia, a pointer structure rotatably mounted in said box and turnable above and independently of said dial structure, means for manually imparting movement to yone of said structures, an automatically operative connection between said structures whereby the turning movement of the initially actuated one imparts a differential turning movement to the other and an automatically op-erative connection between said box and the automatically turnable one of said structures adapted to prescribe stopping positions of the latter.

10. Ina game, the combination of a box inclu-ding a transparent cover supplied with a radially extending pointer, a dial structure rotatably mounted in said box and having circumferentially arranged indicia, a pointing structure rotatably mounted in said box and turnable above and independently of said dial structure, means for rotating one of said structures, a differential connection between said structures whereby the turning movement of the initially actuated one imparts a turning movement to the other, a frictional connection between said box and the automatically turned one of said structures, said connections involving predetermined relative circumferential locations of elements thereof respectively, to the box and dial indicia whereby both pointers always register with the same or two different indicia when the movable pointer and dial structure are stationary.

11. In combinati-on, a box, a pair of members rotatably mounted in adjacent relation in said box, a dial having circumferentially arranged, equispaced indicia and connected to turn in unison with one of said members, a pointer mounted to turn in unison with the other of said members, a frictional connection between said members, means for rotating one of said members whereby automatically to impart differential turning movement to the other of said members and another pointer xed to said box over said dial whereby said pointers may register with the same one or dierent pairs of said indicia.

12. In combination, a box, a pair of members rotatably mounted in said box, a dial having circumfcrentialiy arranged, equispaced indicia and connected to turn in unison with one of said members, a radially extending pointer connected to turn in unison With' the other one of said members, means for rotating one of said members, a frictional connection between said members including circularly arranged alternately Varying friction stages whereby rotational movement imfriction and the number of circumferentially arranged stages of minimum friction for each complete turn of said mechanically rotated member corresponding in number to the number of dial indicia and said stages of minimum friction being f in predetermined circumferential relationship to a pointer and also with respect to the circumferential arrangement of said dial indicia Whereby to insure stopping of the dial with a certain indicia in registry with said pointer.

NICHOLAS TOMASEVICH.

Images